Wheeling, W. Va. – After a big win before the Thanksgiving Break, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (2-4, 0-2) looked to keep things going as they returned to the court on Wednesday night. It was a big night for the Cardinals bench, but it wasn't enough on the scoreboard as the Cardinals fell 81-60. The Cardinals got 21 points from their bench, led by 14 from sophomore Caleb Murray, but it wasn't enough to lift the team to victory.

The night started with a Davis & Elkins layup, but the Cardinals kept pace as Sean Ealy and Marcus Johnson each hit layups to tie the game at 4-4. A three-pointer by the Senator's Sam Rolle IV gave Davis & Elkins a 7-4 lead at the 16:19 mark of the half and that lead would hold through the first media timeout. Both defenses came to play in the early going and it wasn't until the 12 minute mark that either team broke double digits. Wheeling would be the team to do it as Sean Ealy tied the game with a big three coming out of the media timeout and the Cardinals would score eight straight points to take an 11-7 lead. The back and forth would be a common theme throughout the half and by the 10 minute mark, things were tied up once again at 18-18.

The biggest lead held by either team during the final 10 minutes of the half was just six points, and Davis & Elkins would take the lead. They went on a short 5-0 run over the next two minutes to take a 23-18 lead, one they would not give up the rest of the night. Johnson broke the run with a layup to get his team back on the board, and William Gabbert added a layup of his own to get the Cardinals to within three with 6:12 remaining on the first half clock. After the media timeout, the Senators were able to flush their lead to six points, but an Ealy three-pointer at the 4:20 mark brought the game back to 28-25. The Cardinals would put up just three more points in the half, and a Kevin Coleman Jr. Free throw would send Wheeling into the locker room trailing 32-28.

The Cardinals were within striking distance, and looked to come out strong once again in the second half. The Cardinals did just that as Johnson and Gabbert went back-to-back for the second time on the night and Wheeling tied the game at 32-32. However, the Senators defense began to tighten as the half went on and, over the next five minutes, Davis & Elkins went on a 12-2 run that pushed their advantage to 44-34. It was the biggest lead by either team to that point and the deficit would remain 10 until the score sat at 48-38 with 12 minutes to play. Jerry Saunders Jr. would break the run with a big three-pointer as the Cardinals tried to get back on track, but that would lead to another 10-0 Senators run that pushed things to 58-41 with under 10 minutes to play.

Johnson would then get it done from the free throw line, hitting four free throws over the next four minutes and brought the score to 64-45. Sophomore Caleb Murray, who had been playing a big part on defense early and had five points to that point, got going from three-point range. He would hit three three-pointers over the final 10 minutes of play as he kept getting opportunities as the final minutes ticked down. Over the final three minutes of the game, Head Coach Chris Richardson went to his bench as sophomore Korey Beckett finished things off strong. He picked up his first career rebound and his first career assist as the Cardinals closed out the game. The Cardinals would end up falling 81-60.

Leading the way for the Cardinals was junior Marcus Johnson, who finished with 18 points on the night, just missing the 20-point mark. He also led the team's defensive effort with eight rebounds and had a big day from the free throw line going 4-4. Sophomore Caleb Murray would finish right behind him with 14 points and Sean Ealy wrapped up the day with 10 points. Ealy also led the way in the passing game, finishing with three assists while Kevin Coleman Jr. led the way with two blocks on the night. The Cardinals continue through their MEC schedule as they hit the road Saturday, in search of their first MEC win of the season.

The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to action on Saturday, December 2nd, when they hit the road to face West Virginia Wesleyan at 4 PM.